Hansraj College gives good old B.Sc. Geology a makeover

B.Sc. Geology has a new avatar. The course, which was being offered only by Hansraj and Ram Lal Anand colleges, will now have a new name as well as a new structure in Hansraj College. Mallica Joshi reports.

B.Sc. Geology has a new avatar. The course, which was being offered only by Hansraj and Ram Lal Anand colleges, will now have a new name as well as a new structure in Hansraj College.

It will, beginning this academic session, become the only integrated B.Sc. and M.Sc. programme to be offered by the university.

To be known as M.Sc. Earth Sciences (integrated) course from the upcoming academic session, the course will be five years long.

Students who have studied physics, chemistry and mathematics in Class 12 are eligible to take admission.

But getting into the course is also going to be tough this time around.

"We are giving an advantage of 5% to those students who have got ranks in the IIT-Joint Entrance Examination. So if two students with 90% come to us, the marks of the student who has cleared IIT-JEE will be counted as 95%," said VK Kwatra, principal, Hansraj College.

While subjects like physics, chemistry and mathematics will be taught in the college itself, students will have to go to the department of geology to study specific subjects.

"The structure of the course has been revamped and been modernised. It has become more technical and has a wider range of application now," added Kwatra.

Students who want to leave the course after completing their B.Sc. degree will also be allowed to do so.

"It is flexible. If a student wants to leave after doing B.Sc., they will be given the degree," Kwatra added.

There are 30 seats in the course.

While the first cut-off for the course at Hansraj College was 90% for non-IIT-JEE students, it came down to 87% in the second list.

The college has already admitted 10 students in the course. One of these has come through the IIT-JEE merit list.

Last year, the college had admitted 25 students in B.Sc. Geology.

"Not a lot of students know about this course and that is why we don't get a better response," Kwatra said.